Phone booths for the 21st century

Cue the “Superman” theme, because Clark Kent’s favorite makeshift changing room may be primed for a comeback. That’s right, the phone booth, something that has joined the ranks of record players and VCRs as items younger generations quizzically look at in old movies and television shows, is getting its second wind.

These phone booths won’t be sprinkled around city streets to act as doodle pads for less ambitious graffiti artists. In fact, these phone booths aren’t meant to be outside at all but, instead, securely nestled into offices around the country.

Office noise is cited as the most frustrating aspect of the work environment by about 50% of employees in open offices, according to a University of Sydney study. Framery, a company based in Finland, is hoping to solve this problem with its soundproof office phone booths.

© 2016 Framery Acoustics

Differing from traditional office phone rooms by providing greater mobility at a lower cost, Framery booths come equipped with a table top, an adjustable stool, an electric socket, and LED lighting. An integrated air ventilation system ensures the user will remain at a comfortable temperature even when using the booth for long periods of time.

The booths resemble a traditional phone booth that has undergone a modern update, and are available in a variety of color combinations. In addition to the single-person booths, Framery also offers a larger option for two people to use at once.

Framery produced 2,800 phone booths in 2016 and has expanded that goal to 8,000 booths for 2017.